Merab Dvalishvili says doctors proposed he withdraw from Petr Yan fight at UFC 323: 'That's who I am'

Dvalishvili insisted on fighting injured at UFC 323, much like he did against Umar Nurmagomedov, despite doctors' concerns

Fighters very rarely compete at optimal health, but Merab Dvalishvili is another animal. He's still preparing for a trilogy fight with bantamweight champion Petr Yan after breaking his nose, but performing banged up is normal for "The Machine."

Dvalishvili broke his nose in two places early this month after getting kneed in a training session. He plans to delay surgery so that he may continue training to fight Yan this summer. It shouldn't come as a surprise after Dvalishvili attempted to become the only UFC champion to make four successful title defenses in one year. Dvalishvili fell short of the historic feat after Yan, a fighter Dvalishvili had previously beaten, upset him at UFC 323.

In a recent interview, the former champion praised Yan as a great fighter. Dvalishvili said he beat Yan the first time because he took the threat seriously. Though Dvalishvili didn't want to make excuses for last year's loss, he revealed that UFC doctors advised him to pull out of their sequel. Dvalishvili still gives Yan full credit for the victory. After all, Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov despite training with a severe leg infection and back injury.

"UFC doctors told me I could pull out, but that's who I am. I didn't want to make excuses. I want to deal with challenges," Dvalishvili told CBS Sports ahead of Saturday's freestyle wrestling match with Henry Cejudo at RAF 08. "I had the same thing, or worse situation, before some fights, and I still made it through to win. This time, I wasn't able to win." 

The loss should've been a tough pill to swallow. Dvalishvilli's dominance had crowned him as the best bantamweight fighter of all-time in many people's eyes, and he was close to achieving something no champion ever had. But Dvalishvili has taken the loss in stride. Daring to be great means accepting failure, and setting impossible challenges is in his DNA.

"It wasn't hard [to move on] because I was willing to fight four times in one year," Dvailishvili said. "I was going to take a fight against the most deserving guy, Petr Yan. I knew there was a risk. I like to take challenges and risks. That's who I am, and that's what has gotten me here."

Dvalishvili found comfort in UFC promising him an immediate trilogy fight. The UFC has not announced the fight, but it appears to be the direction the promotion is heading after booking Sean O'Malley against Aiemann Zahabi at the White House. Dvalishvili said he was ready to fight in May, but is anticipating a July or August date.

"After I lost, I was fine. I just moved on," he said. "The most important thing was UFC telling me that I'll get a rematch against the new champion. I'm very relaxed now.

"I don't know the date yet. I'm hoping in July. Whenever UFC needs us. Petr already said he's ready for June, which means he's ready for July and August." 

Before rematching Yan, Dvalishvili takes a detour to visit another familiar foe. Former bantamweight champions Dvalishvili and Cejudo headline RAF 08. Real American Freestyle has become a destination stop for UFC fighters past and present, looking to grapple on the wrestling mats. 

"I have a fight against Petr Yan, but I like to be busy," Dvalishvili said. "Wrestling is pretty much my training session. It's going to be fun. There's no weight cut, which is easy, so thank you to RAF for doing this. They make wrestlers compete at their natural weight. They don't make us lose a lot of weight and kill ourselves. I love everything about it." 

Dvalishvili won a competitive unanimous decision against Cejudo in February 2024. In fact, Dvalishvili took down the Olympic gold medalist wrestler five times, giving up only one. Dvalishvili expects a harder challenge stepping into Cejudo's territory. What's more, in a completely on-brand move, Dvalishvili has not refined his training specifically for freestyle wrestling.

"I'm a good MMA wrestler. Yes, I took him down. But the rules are different in freestyle wrestling," Dvalishvil said. "There's no wall, and there's a line we can't cross. We know Henry is a very good wrestler. I thought about training for this match with freestyle wrestlers, but I'm still doing my regular training. Jiu-jitsu, MMA training, and sparring because fighting is most important to me. I'll go and do my best to beat Henry in wrestling. I can't become a wrestler in the couple of weeks left."